


Raising Peter

by Strength_in_pain



Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Baby Peter Parker, F/M, Gen, Kid Peter Parker, May and Ben Parker Younger, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Protective Ben Parker, Protective May Parker (Spider-Man), Worried May Parker (Spider-Man)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:15:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26056327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strength_in_pain/pseuds/Strength_in_pain
Summary: A collection of moments from Peter’s childhood starting with when he first met May and Ben Parker.
Relationships: Ben Parker & May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, Ben Parker & Peter Parker, Ben Parker/May Parker (Spider-Man), May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker
Comments: 20
Kudos: 65





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [professional_benaddict](https://archiveofourown.org/users/professional_benaddict/gifts), [sugar-and-spice-parker (WriterReadsStuff)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WriterReadsStuff/gifts).



> I’m gifting this to two writers that write amazing little Peter stuff. 
> 
> I wish I could make him as cute as you two do. :)

From the moment May Reilly was ten-years-old, she knew without a doubt that she never wanted kids. 

She came to this revelation when she was riding home with her best friend, Amy West. While sitting in the backseat of the West’s Chevy, May was glaring straight ahead at the headrest of the driver’s seat and at Mrs. West’s blonde hair while refusing to acknowledge the annoying toddler in the middle seat. 

Amy’s little brother, Todd, was about as bratty as they get. 

“Look! Look! Look! Looooooook!” 

May was NOT going to look. Not after the boy had shoved his finger up his nose and was holding boogers in his fist every time.

It was so freaking gross. He even smeared them on May’s sleeve at one point. So thanks, but no thanks, May was not going to look. 

“LOOK!” The little boy’s voice was a high-pitched shrill. 

May was about to lose her mind, when thankfully his mother shouted a loud, “Stop that.” 

May was so thankful for parents being able to control their kids. But unfortunately, what she thought was taken-care of, turned out to be ten-times worse.

Todd’s little face screwed into a tight, pinched expression, and all of a sudden the car was filled with screeching cries. 

It was awful! If May thought her ears hurt before, they were nothing compared to the throbbing pain she felt now. 

“Todd, shut up.” Amy screamed. 

“Don’t yell at your little brother!” Mrs. West scolded. “He’s just a baby. This is how babies act.”

If that was how babies acted, then May Reilly wanted nothing to do with babies. 

On her fourteenth birthday, she told her parents she didn’t want to have kids. They told her she would change her mind. 

“One bad experience with a baby isn’t a good reason to not want any of your own.” Her mother told her. 

Maybe not, but May had absolutely no desire to be around kids. When her friends at school went cooing at the first-graders, May felt uncomfortable watching them walk through the halls, as if they were from another planet. 

She was an only child herself so she never had any siblings to take care of, which made May fear being a mother. 

“I won’t know what to do.” She shouted at her mother one night after they discussed the topic again.

“Oh honey, no one ever really knows what to do. It just comes naturally.” 

“I don’t want it to! I don’t want kids!”

Her mother sighed. “Then you don’t have to have kids. But you might find out that you are missing out on something amazing.”

May took that argument as a win. 

When May turned seventeen, she realized yet another reason why she should never have kids. That was, she would make the worst decisions in the world. 

“May Reilly, where have you been? It’s three o’clock in the morning!” Her step-father screamed. 

May never liked him. He barged his way into her family, and he was never kind to her. 

“I was out with a guy.”

“Was it that Matthews boy again?”

“So what if it was?” May retorted, already trying to stretch her short skirt to make it longer. She didn’t need her step-father to call her such horrible names again. 

“He’s a no-good, dirty-rotten -“

“You don’t even know him!” May screamed, probably waking up the neighbors, but not really caring. She was tired of everyone telling her how awful her boyfriend was. 

“I know his type.”

“Oh my God!” She screamed, moving like a caged lion around her step-father.

“He only wants one thing, and if you keep staying out until this hour, you’ll be pregnant before you graduate.”

“I’m not going to get pregnant because I’m not having sex!” She screamed before slamming the door and throwing her head into her pillow. 

Her parents never understood anything. That’s another reason she would never become a parent. God forbid she ever act like her parents. Ugh, what a nightmare.

Although, as she found out, her parents weren’t always wrong. In fact, they were right about that Matthews boy. 

If it hadn’t been for good old Ben Parker, May might have ended up marrying a criminal. 

When she told her parents she was dating Ben, they acted much more supportive which was a nice change. 

About three months into the relationship, and Ben mentioned wanting to join the military. So naturally, May mentioned she didn’t want kids. 

They both laughed, kissed, and the compromise was struck. 

When Ben returned from the war the first thing he did, after ordering a beer from the local bar, was get down on one knee and propose. 

May said yes. 

For a while life was simple. It was peaceful. She and Ben found a nice little house on the end street of a tiny neighborhood and they moved in together. He got a job, she got a job. They had Thanksgiving at his parent’s house, and Christmas at her parent’s house.

Things couldn’t be better. 

One Thanksgiving and Ben’s younger brother, Richard, brought over a beautiful young woman named Mary for dinner. During desert they broke the news, they were getting married. 

Two Thanksgiving’s later and there was a baby at the dinner table. May couldn’t remember much because she was really uninterested when the happy couple paraded around the house with their new bundle of joy, showing him off like he was a brand new car. 

But she did remember holding him. Mary offered, nearly shoved the boy into her arms and May immediately panicked. 

She had never held a baby. She didn’t know what to do. The weight wasn’t horrible, but it was heavier than she expected and fears of dropping the child instantly sprung to her mind. What was worse was the baby’s face pinched together and loud cries soon followed. 

Like any good mother, Mary immediately sensed the fear in both her baby and May. Quickly, she scooped the boy into her arms and bounced him. 

“Sorry, he’s usually so well-behaved. But I guess this must all be new for him.” Mary explained, trying to soothe May as much as her baby. 

“Don’t worry about it.” May said dismissively. “I scare everyone. If I were him, I would be scared of my face too.”

It was a self-deprecating joke, but May felt better playing it off like that. Mary tried desperately to reassure her that it wasn’t her fault. 

“He just needs a nap. I’m going to put him down.”

That was the clearest memory May Parker had of her nephew. 

She didn’t see Richard or Mary for a long time after that. Ben’s parents passed away, and so they stopped having Thanksgiving together at their house, and instead had it alone. 

Three years later, Richard and Mary showed up on May’s doorstep and asked her to babysit Peter.

“Just for a few days. Please, we have something really important to take care of.”

“Of course.” Ben agreed, and May had to resist sending a glare that could freeze the Pacific. 

“Thank you so much. Peter will be a good boy, won’t you Peter?”

May scowled at the child in question, who stood quietly next to his mother, face nuzzled against her leg. 

“I stay outta trouble.” The the little one declared when he realized all eyes were on him. 

His parents cooed at him, and Richard scooped him up to tickle his tummy. 

“That’s what I like to hear. All right, you be a good boy, Peter.”

“Please, Daddy. Don’t go. I wanna stay with you.” 

May felt a stab at her chest, but she couldn’t agree more with Peter’s words. He should really stay with his Daddy. He would be much better off. 

“Shh, Pete. I need you to stay here and play with Uncle Ben for a little while, okay?” 

Peter shrugged, and Richard passed him over to Ben. The boy leaned against Ben’s touch, and wrapped his arms around his neck. 

“We’ve got a baby bag here.” Mary was informing them, pulling out coloring books, and stuff animals, and clothes. 

“We even packed a few pull-ups for night time, just in case.”

May didn’t know what to say. It was too much for a Saturday morning.

She had a million questions, including some sarcastic comments. Did this look like a daycare? Was Peter potty trained? What did he eat? What was the best way to get him to shut-up? Does he need someone to play with him or will he play by himself? How many naps does he get? 

But he only question that came out of her mouth was, “How long will you be gone.” 

“Oh not long.” Mary assured her. “Probably two days at the most. We do have to catch a flight though.”

“Can I ask where you are going?” May tried.

“Just a place for work. We’ll be back soon.” She stepped forward and gave Peter a kiss on the cheek. His little fingers gripped her hair.

“I’ll be back soon, Petey. I love you.” She pulled away and quickly rushed to the car. 

“Thanks again, Ben. I owe you one.” Richard said. 

_You can say that again_ , May thought bitterly. 

“Don’t mention it.” Ben waved as his brother rushed over to the car. He turned for the first time to look at his wife, only to see her huff, and stalk inside. Oh boy. 

“All right Peter, I think it’s time to get inside now.” Ben said, in a voice May had never heard before, it was something between gentle and stern. Almost like baby-talk. This whole situation was too foreign for her to comprehend. 

She stood in the middle of the living room with her hands on her hips. 

The scrawny little guy in Ben’s arms stared at May beneath a fringe of bangs. He looked terrified and on the verge of tears. He was fisting Ben’s denim jacket with one hand, and a thumb was hanging out of his mouth with the other. 

May winced at the unsanitary habit before resuming her death glare. 

“I’m not sure what I did wrong here.” Ben mumbled, bouncing Peter on his hip. “Care to enlighten me?” 

“You could have asked me before saying yes.” May deadpanned, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Okay, what was I supposed to do, May? He’s my brother. I wasn’t going to say no to babysitting his kid. Come on, we can handle one weekend.”

May scoffed. “Correction. _You_ can handle one weekend. I want nothing to do with this. I don’t know the first thing about kids, and I didn’t sign up for this.”

Ben sighed. “Alright. That’s fair, I suppose.” He set Peter down on the floor and went to fetch the boy’s bag. 

“Let’s see what we got in here, huh Petey?”

Peter’s eyes lit up at the bag, and he took faltering, wobbly steps towards the it, but once he started moving, he was walking with ease. 

He dropped his bottom against the carpet and reached a hand into the bag. Soon the carpet was covered with coloring books and toys. Peter was particularly interested in his stuffed dinosaur which he cradled to his chest as Ben chatted about the coloring books. 

“Wow! You like animals, huh? Look at this doggie, he’s blue! Did you color him?”

Peter nodded vigorously, a small giggle escaping his lips as he pulled himself into a standing position. 

“Blues clues.” 

“Oh, he’s the doggie from Blues Clues?” Ben asked, vaguely familiar with the children’s show. “That’s awesome.”

Peter grinned. It was like he was suddenly very excited to share everything he owned with Uncle Ben. 

After about fifteen minutes of excited babbling, Ben lifted himself off the floor in order to stretch his aching back. 

“Do you want some Mac ‘N Cheese?” It was getting close to dinner time, and that was about the only meal Ben had that a child of Peter’s age would eat. 

“Kay,” Peter agreed giving his Uncle a toothy smile. 

“Atta boy.” Ben praised, walking into the kitchen with Peter following behind him. 

May walked in the kitchen twenty minutes later to whip up dinner for herself and Ben. 

The toddler looked up, and paused the little plastic fork filled with and overflowing helping of Mac N Cheese halfway to his mouth. 

“Hi.” May whispered, trying her best to sound cheerful and not so frightened of the child. 

Peter giggled and waved his fork, flinging cheese onto the floor. May tried not to cringe. 

“Whoa!” Ben laughed, “Easy there, buddy.” He grabbed a napkin and started cleaning up the mess. Peter simply clapped, getting a kick out of everything new that was happening in this house. 

“Cheese?” Peter asked, reaching his little fork towards Ben’s mouth, trying to feed him. 

“Ah, thank you, buddy.” Ben said. “But Uncle Ben’s really full.”

“Uncle Ben.”

“Yup, that’s me.” Ben replied, planting a kiss on the top of his head. “And this pretty lady right here, is your Aunt May.”

“May!” Peter clapped. And okay, May had to admit her heart skipped a beat, but that didn’t mean anything. She still had no idea how to handle kids. She couldn’t allow herself to think it was cute. “May! May! May!”

“I think he’s calling for you, love.”

May rolled her eyes. “Great. What am

I supposed to do?” 

“Come here and find out.” Ben offered. 

“No thank you.” May said, turning her back on the troublesome pair. 

“May?” Peter’s bottom lip trembled, and his breath hitched. 

“Uh-oh.” Ben said in a wave of panic. “No, hey Peter, it’s okay. It’s okay. May is busy making dinner, that’s all. Hey buddy, don’t cry.” 

Peter turned his glistening warm brown eyes onto Ben. “Cheese?” He offered again and this time Ben took the bite of food.

“Mmm, that was so yummy.” He said, and just like that Peter was smiling again. Phew. Catastrophic situation avoided. 

The rest of the night went on without a hiccup, until it was time for bed. Peter was suddenly very anxious for his parents to come home. 

“Come on, buddy, let me get this pull-up on you.” Ben tried to grab Peter’s hips, but the boy pulled away again, kicking his legs. 

“Want mommy.”

“She’s coming home in a few days, buddy. You’re going to sleep here tonight. Sound good?”

Peter shook his head fervently. “No!” 

It retrospect, Ben knew he probably shouldn’t have asked the toddler if he thought sleeping here was a good idea or not. 

“I’m sorry to hear that you don’t want to have a sleepover. But maybe Mr. Dinosaur would want to have a sleepover?”

Ben was desperate at this point, trying to get the fussy boy to stay still long enough to be changed. 

“Rex wants Mommy.” 

“Mommy’s not here right now.”

Peter did not like that answer one bit. His eyes widened and he let out a loud screech.

Ben jolted back, alarmed at the loud noise. 

“Want now!” Peter shouted, throwing himself on the ground and kicking his legs. 

Frustrated with the small tantrum, Ben stood up and walked out of the bathroom for a few minutes to allow himself to calm down. It wasn’t Peter’s fault. He was a toddler first and foremost, and he had never been away from his parents before. He was probably scared and confused to be spending the night in a strangers house. 

“How are things going?” May asked, smirk dancing on her lips letting him know that she heard everything and already knew the answer. 

“He wants his mom.”

“That makes two of us.” May said. She laid down on her bed and pulled Ben’s head into her lap. 

“Do you think maybe you could change him?” Ben asked. 

May snorted. “If you can’t do it, what makes you think I can?”

“Because you look more like his mom than I do.”

May thought for a moment. Fear that was suppressed all day suddenly re-emerged in a blinding way. 

“I can’t.”

“Can we try together?” Ben offered. “Please. The kid really needs to go to bed. It’s 10 o’clock which is way too late for him.” 

May nodded. “Alright. I’ll try. But only because you admitted you need me.”

“May, I always need you.” He planted a quick kiss on her lips. 

When Ben and May entered the bathroom as a tag-team, they were surprised to find Peter standing in the empty bathtub, with his pants on the floor. 

He had tried to put the pull-up on all by himself, but the tabs that were supposed to be tapped together were completely crooked and it looked like it was digging into the toddlers skin. 

“Well look at you.” Ben said kindly. “You got dressed all by yourself.”

Peter nodded. He was peering at Ben nervously from behind his bangs. 

“Are you okay, buddy?” Ben asked, already checking the boy’s hips to see if the pull-up was hurting him. 

He spotted some dark red-marks. Quickly, Ben gestured for May to get another one ready. 

“Mad?” Peter whispered, looking down at his feet. 

“No buddy,” Ben soothed. “I’m not mad.”

“Mommy Mad?” Peter asked, gripping Ben’s shirt and moving closer for some much needed comfort. 

“No Peter, mommy’s not mad at you.”

May said crouching next to him with a brand new pull-up. “She had to go somewhere. But she’s going to come back for you.” 

“Promise?” Peter asked. 

“I promise.” May said, kissing his fluffy hair.

Peter remained much more still for his Aunt and Uncle as they changed him into a comfortable pull-up, and then dressed him into his Scooby-Doo pajamas. 

He was completely stoic as they tucked him into the pull-out bed that was normally their couch. 

“Good night, Peter.” Ben said, kissing his forehead. 

“Love you, honey.” May planted a kiss on his nose. 

When she was alone with her husband, tucked away in her bedroom, May couldn’t find the words to say. But something changed in that short moment that she would never be able to explain. 

“Is he growing on you?” Ben asked, a sly smile whisking his face. 

“Shut up, Ben Parker.” May tossed a pillow at his head. “But if you must know, I don’t think it was as bad as I thought it would be.”

“That’s great, May. I’m glad to hear you say that because I have to go to work tomorrow.”

May’s smile faded immediately. “That’s not funny.”

“I’m sorry, honey. But I’m not joking.”

Despite Ben’s not-so-funny-news, May survived the next day alone with Peter. In fact, she really felt like she bonded with the toddler. They both liked the color purple, they both liked dogs, and they both had very strong appetites. 

It was a win-win situation. 

Nevertheless, May was happy when the weekend was over and she could get back to her normal life without a child. 

Still, the eye-opening experience with her nephew left her wondering if maybe she was willing to have a child of her own. She would need to discuss it with Ben, of course. But May had faith in herself for the first time since she was ten-years-old. 

Not only that, but she felt a new-found desire for a child. There was something special about being responsible for another living soul. Her child would be her child. Her flesh and blood, her DNA, her genes, parts of her and Ben meshed together into a real human being. 

But it was much more than that. It was love that would continue to grow forever. The relationship between a parent and child is so strong... May might actually want it. 

Of course, a baby was work. There were already sleepless nights with Peter here. She would definitely have to discuss the idea with her husband if she really thought she was ready for such a commitment. 

Two hours later and the decision was made for her. One phone call and her life was once again flipped upside down. 

Ben came home in tears, and May felt ill. A plane crash took the lives of Richard and Mary Parker, leaving behind a very confused toddler who just wanted to go home and see his mommy and daddy again. 

This was it. Decision time. Should May keep the child? What if she wasn’t ready to become a parent? What if it was too painful for Ben to keep his brother‘s baby? 

Child services would arrive shortly. May needed to talk to her husband about everything. And that’s what they did. 

May had a child that day. 

May had Peter. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poor Peter and May are struggling to get used to one another. 
> 
> Peter makes a mess and May does not handle it too well. (She actually does fine. But she’s hard on herself. Peter’s even more hard on himself.)
> 
> It’s fluffy :)

It’s been one week. One week since Peter’s parents had died, and one week since May and Ben agreed to foster the boy for a little while. At least, they agreed to foster him until they decided what they wanted to do. On some days, May wanted to keep Peter, raise him as her own, love him like a mother would love her baby. But on other days, May thought that maybe putting the boy up for adoption would be in Peter’s best interest. 

Today was one of those days. 

May took a deep breath and tried to remind herself that _it was okay._ It’s not the end of the world. Things happen. 

But how does a toddler manage to soak his entire head of hair in milk? And why did it have to be _milk_. God, the smell was just horrible, sour, and disgusting. If it had been water, May could have hung his wet shirt outside to air dry. But of course it’s milk and cereal spilled all down his front. The first thing Peter did when he saw her this morning, was give her a big hug. So now May’s freshly washed, neatly ironed, crisp white t-shirt was covered in milk as well. 

“Look May! I get food all by myself. Like a big boy.” Peter said cheerfully, bouncing up and down on his heels. And May should be happy that he was happy. For the past few days Peter had done nothing but cry. He couldn’t understand why he wasn’t allowed to go home. But slowly, very slowly, he was starting to get used to his life with his Aunt and Uncle. So to see him smile was an accomplishment. But May couldn’t stop worrying about his sticky hair. 

“Peter, honey. You got all messy.” May whispered, crouching down to his level. 

“Yeah, spilled some milks.” He admitted “but I cleaned it up.” 

Phew. Well that was a relief. For a second May was worried that her kitchen was -

Destroyed. 

The second she caught glimpse of the kitchen behind her, May’s heart gave out. 

First of all, the refrigerator door was wide open. Hopefully it hadn’t been open for too long or else all of her food would be spoiled. 

Then, to make matters worse, the kitchen counter had milk all over it, and the jug was only a quarter full, but it was definitely full before she went to bed last night. Some milk had spread to the edge of the counter, small drips leaking down the sides onto a big puddle in the middle of the floor. 

Peter had obviously tried, albeit not very well, to clean the milk, leaving soaked clumps of toilet paper in random places along the counter. Why couldn’t he have used paper towels? May supposed it was easier for him to reach the toilet paper. 

The cereal box was on its side on the kitchen table, spilling Fruit Loops across seemingly the _entire_ length of the table. 

And May just went grocery shopping yesterday. 

May could feel the stress and anger rising. She was already late for work, and she knew whatever words came out of her mouth were going to be a mistake, but she just didn’t know how to handle this.

“Peter.” She began, clenching her hands into fists, trying to calm down. “What did you do?”

“Made breakfast.”

“You made a mess!” May shouted. 

Peter’s brown eyes were widened, and full of sadness and confusion at her tone. May knew deep down that Peter didn’t mean to wreak havoc on the kitchen, but that didn’t stop the spitfire of emotions from rising. 

“Didn’t mean to make mess. It was accident, but then I cleaned up like I was supposed to.” Peter told her in a quiet tone. 

His eyes were fixed on his fluffy socks and he was playing with his thumbs nervously. 

“Go to your room.” Was all May could manage to say. She turned to look at the mess, evaluating how she was going to clean it, when she heard a pitiful cry from behind her. 

“‘m’sorry.” 

May felt herself deflate. Like she was a balloon and Peter’s wobbly words were the pin the burst her. Now instead of feeling anger, she felt an overwhelming amount of sadness and guilt. But most of all, she felt like a terrible Aunt. It was like her worst nightmare come true. 

When May turned around to apologize, Peter was gone. 

She closed the refrigerator door, then rushed into Peter’s bedroom. His ‘bedroom’ was the tiny study area of the house. Ben had removed the bookcase two days ago, and replaced it with Peter’s old mattress from his home, along with the remainder of his toys and clothes. 

That had been a really tough day for Ben. He hated going into his brother’s house and collecting his stuff. He told May, it felt like he was stealing. 

When she got up to Peter’s bedroom, Peter was sat in the corner facing the wall. It’s like he put himself in time out. 

From where she was standing, May could see his stuffed animal dinosaur clutched tightly to his chest. Peter was using him as a buffer to muffle his sobs as he cried into the animal’s soft fur. 

Welp, May felt like an ass. 

“Peter?” She whispered softly, and the boy flinched hard, startled by her presence. “I’m sorry, honey.” She said softly. 

Peter sniffled. “I’m sorry.”

May ran a tired hand over her face, then through Peter’s hair. She was incredibly late for work, and her boss was going to kill her, but Peter needed to know that everything was okay. May wasn’t angry anymore.

She sat herself on the bed, beside Peter, then carefully pulled him onto her lap. He was limp, allowing her to move him however she wanted. 

“You’re a good boy, Peter.” May murmured into his hair. “I’m sorry. I was mad but I shouldn’t have been. It was an accident and that’s okay.”

Peter turned his head slightly to glance back at May. When their eyes meet, he snapped his head back around to face the wall. 

“I made big mess.” Peter squirmed and wiggled in May’s lap until May loosened her grip and let Peter climb off of her. 

The boy walked further towards the wall, then sat on the floor with his nose pressed against it. 

May felt terrible and she could tell Peter felt extremely guilty for what he did. From here on out, May was going to have to be careful with when she yelled at him. Peter was a really good kid, very sensitive, and he clearly punished himself worse than anyone else could. So May was going to have to remember that the next time her temper flared. 

“Sweetie, I’m not mad, and you didn’t do anything wrong, so I want you to come out of that corner right now.” 

Peter scrambled up off the floor, eager to obey, to prove he was a good boy. 

“How about we get you in the bath, and then after we can make cereal together? How does that sound? Of course, we’ll have to go to the store first, but you can be my little helper and push the shopping cart. Does that sound good?”

Peter contemplated this. He really didn’t want to make cereal again. Not after it landed him in such trouble. But then again, if May was giving him a second chance to prove he could behave, then maybe he should take her up on the offer. 

“Okay...” he whispered, sticking his dinosaur’s ear in his mouth. 

May grinned. “Okay. You go to the bathroom and start the water. I need to call my work really fast.”

Peter nodded and did as he was told. Soon May joined him with new clothes in her hand. She laid them on the bathroom counter and then helped Peter out of his current sticky ones. 

The bath was quick. Too quick for Peter’s liking. He didn’t get a chance to play like he usually does, but May was kind to him the whole time. Telling him stories about duckies and boats until he was giggling and splashing. Once he was clean and dressed, Peter let May carry him to the car. He felt awful when they went through the kitchen and he caught sight of the horrible mess again. But May assured him again and again that she wasn’t angry. 

When they got home, Uncle Ben was awake and in the middle of cleaning the kitchen. For a brief moment, Peter feared his Uncle would lash out at him as well and he hid his face into May’s neck. 

“It’s okay, Peter.” May whispered putting him down. “Nobody’s mad. Right, Ben?”

Uncle Ben nodded. “Yeah. It’s okay, buddy. I see you had an adventure today.” 

Peter smiled, realizing that he wasn't going to be yelled at anymore, and went over to hug Ben’s legs. 

They made cereal that evening as promised, and Peter thought he might actually like breakfast at night better than in the morning. 

May and Ben had cereal as well as bacon, eggs and toast. Peter tried the bacon and eggs but he didn't like them. He did, however, love jelly toast. 

“I didn’t realize how often kids get sticky, but I probably should have.” May said to her husband as she wiped Peter’s mouth and hands with a wet wipe. 

“The older he gets, the less sticky he’ll become.” Ben laughed. (If only they knew the future of their Nephew would include sticking to walls). 

After tucking Peter into bed later that evening, May closed her bedroom door and had another long conversation with her husband. 

“We would have to enroll him in school.”

“We would.”

“And what about discipline? I honestly was the worst today. Peter needs to be put in a better home with people that actually know what they are doing.”

“We don’t have to decide anything right now. Let’s give it a month or two.”

“A month? Ben, he could be dead within a month.”

“Oh now you’re just being over dramatic, Maybelle.” He said, waving her off.

“He tried to make breakfast this morning. What if tomorrow he tries to use the oven?”

Ben froze. “Okay, yeah. We should probably go over some ground rules with him. Like, no touching stoves, knives, bleach. Lord, there are so many dangerous things in the house! We need to baby proof it tomorrow.”

“See what I mean. We didn’t even think of that until now. He’s never going to survive.”

“I don’t know, I survived my old man; and he had guns lying around everywhere.” Ben said, pulling his wife in for a hug. “Hey, it’s okay. If you really don’t want to keep him after a few weeks, I’ll look for folks that want to adopt.” 

May nodded against his chest. Those words brought some comfort, but not much. Part of her felt more stressed with the thought of giving Peter away to someone else. 

Who knew what the future held? All May knew as she rested her head on her pillow was that she felt happy knowing Peter was only two doors away. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter has a nightmare and won’t calm down.

May woke up to a strangled cry. Ben leaped out of bed, and May was quick to follow him down the hallways and into Peter’s new bedroom. 

Peter’s small form was huddled under the scratchy picnic blanket that Ben was temporarily using as bed covers until he could go to the store and buy a proper comforter for the boy. 

The blanket twitched as Peter’s breathing quickened and he moaned. As seconds went by he started to thrash and his cry louder. 

He was having a nightmare. 

Ben quickly flipped the light switch on and went over to Peter. He hesitantly placed a hand on the toddler’s bony shoulders and shook him gently. 

“Peter?”

The kid did not respond for a while, too caught up in the nightmare. May crouched next to him on the other side of the bed and gently traced her hands through his wispy hair. Peter started crying in the earnest, choked desperate sobs completely immune to May’s reassuring touch and Ben’s shushing.

Suddenly Peter’s breathing shuddered, and his eyelids twitched. With a small pitiful cry, his eyes flew open. 

The brunette boy shot up, and if not for Ben grabbing his hand, he would have fallen off the side of the bed. 

“Peter, honey? Are you okay?” May asked.

Peter cocked his head slightly, same as a puppy does when it’s in contemplation. He frowned as his lip quivered and his eyes filled with tears. The second he shook his head the tears spilled over. 

May winced in anticipation for the screams that were about to fill the night. The screams for attention that May remembered Amy’s little brother giving all those years ago, but none came. 

Sure Peter was crying. Tiny crystal droplets fell from his big brown eyes and he sniffled into his hand, which was fisted into his mouth. But he was barely making a sound. 

“It’s okay, Peter. It was just a dream. You’re fine.” May said, rubbing Peter’s arm awkwardly, in what she hoped was a reassuring manner. 

“There are no monsters under the bed, buddy. I checked.” Ben said, kissing his forehead. 

But Peter kept crying. When his eyes just wouldn’t stop leaking, May and Ben exchanged desperate looks. Both of them were out of their element on this one.

“Warm milk!” Ben exclaimed quickly, shouting out the thought thing that popped into his head. Toddlers still like milk, right? 

“You want some nice warm milk, Peter?” May asked, playing along with her husband’s idea. For a second the kid thought about it before nodding his head slightly. 

May smiled softly, pleased to get a reaction from her nephew, and Ben gently retracted his arm. “I’ll be right back.” He said bouncing out of the room to get the milk.

May contemplated the strange boy sitting in her study room with quiet tears rolling down his face. He wasn’t crying his lungs out, if anything he was trying to hide it. This boy wasn’t crying for attention like all the other kids May knew. No, Peter was crying because...he had to. 

Peter’s face screwed up in pain when Ben returned with a sippy cup full of milk. His little fists started beating on his chest as if he were trying desperately not to wail. 

Ben threw the milk down on the bedside table and rushed to help the panicked kid in front of him. 

“Peter? What’s up buddy? Where does it hurt?”

Ben’s hand fluttered uselessly around Peter, searching for a bruise or a cut somewhere. May noticed he was still hitting himself near his ribs.

“Is it your chest?” She asked. The boy nodded and let out a whimper. Small tears leaked out of his eyes, one hand grabbing his chest and the other wrapped around the itching blanket as if it were protection. He was getting more and more distressed. 

“Hey, it’s okay honey. We’ll make it better.” May whispered while Ben was already unbuttoning the trembling four-year-old’s shirt. 

He checked for any swelling injury and made Peter lie down so he could poke his chest. He asked Peter to tell him if anything hurt as he pressed. 

When Ben prodded him, Peter never winced in pain and he never said any place hurt specifically. 

May frowned. There was nothing wrong with Peter. No cuts, bruises, swelling, or red marks. He was perfectly fine. So why was he crying and pounding at his chest? Maybe he did want attention after all and he was lying about being hurt to get it.

“Peter, I can’t find anything wrong with you.” Ben said, and Peter’s eyes widened now in confusion before he hid his head against Ben’s chest and whimpered. 

May was growing tired of the little game he was playing. If Peter needed something, why couldn’t he just tell them? 

Peter gestured back to his chest and looked up at Ben expectantly. As if he would know what to do. I guess little kids always expect adults would know what to do. 

“What do you want, Peter?” May asked, her voice exasperated. Why couldn’t the kid just ask?

Peter whimpered again and looked at May equally as confused. Maybe he didn’t know what he wanted. 

What do kids want in life? Food, drink, warmth. He had dinner, Ben brought him some milk, and he had the blanket for warmth so what else did he need? 

May wanted to give up, but she knew her conscious would never forgive her if she left a crying child alone. 

Peter sniffled and whimpered louder than before, this time closely resembling a cry for help. He grabbed both his feet and drew them to his chest, like he was protecting himself. He looked straight at May, his eyes overflowing with tears and his body rocking backwards and forwards slightly. It was a pitiful sight. 

“Are you still scared, buddy?” Ben asked, once again, unsuccessfully comforting him.

Peter wiped his eyes clumsily on his knees and looked up at Ben with such a devastated look it made May’s heart break. 

“Why did Mommy leave me?” Peter whispered into his blanket.

And suddenly everything made sense. The quietness, the nightmare, the beating of his chest. Peter wasn’t in physical pain... he was in serious emotional pain and the four-year-old couldn’t understand it. 

In one instincts movement, May plopped herself on the bed and swept Peter into her arms. She rocked him against her body, and continued to shush him as he cried. May felt so sorry for the little boy in front of her. He’s been through so much hardship and trauma at such a young age. It wasn’t right for a child to suffer this way.

“Oh Peter... your mommy didn’t want to leave you. But something very bad happened and she got hurt. And when people get really badly hurt they... they go away. Not because they want to, but because... well... it just happens. That’s why you have to be careful so you don’t get hurt too. That’s why you can’t touch the electrical chords or run on the street. It’s dangerous.”

“Y-You’re gonna leave me too?”

“No.” May said without a moment’s hesitation. “No, we are never going to leave you Peter.”

Eventually after much reassurance, shushing, and patting on the back, Peter seemed to calm. Ben used his already wet with tears shirt, to dry the rest of Peter’s face. He grabbed the milk from the bedside table and offered it to Peter. 

Peter shakily but eagerly grabbed the sippy cup and Ben helped him drink from it. Ben and May’s love did the trick, as Peter settled down and became more calm. May gently pulled her hand from Peter’s grasp to put the cup down and then settled more comfortably against the wall the mattress was pressed against. 

“How are you feeling, kiddo?” Ben asked and Peter smiled, snuggling further into May’s comforting arms. His eyes fluttered closed, and May followed suit moments later. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter’s been living with May and Ben for three months and he’s starting to push the boundaries. He ends up finding out just how far he can push things before he gets punished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for my bestie Becca who has been begging me for over three months to write a Peter spanking fic. I didn't know where to put this, but I figured it works with this story so voila! 
> 
> Warning ⚠️ Corporal Punishment. Don’t read if you don’t want to. It’s okay. You can turn back. I promise there is comfort afterwards. I’m not a meanie. Peter is still very loved. That being said, please enjoy! 😄

“Peter Benjamin Parker, _don’t you dare_.”

May had just come out of the bathroom barefoot, in a pair of jeans, with a wet towel tossed over her shoulder to spot her nephew perched on the top of a tall wobbly dresser, getting ready to leap across onto the livingroom couch. 

“But I can fly!” Peter giggled. “Like Peter Pan.”

“No you can’t. Now you get down from there right now.”

“No!”

“Peter! Get down! You’re going to get hurt.”

“No!”

And May really should have seen this coming. 

It’s been three months since Peter was staying with May and Ben, and during that time, they had fallen into a regime which made everyone happy. It took a while, but May and Ben finally figured out how to split their time and raise Peter together. They still haven’t officially adopted him, but at this point, it was an unspoken agreement that they were going to adopt Peter. He was their nephew after all. And he was an absolutely joy to be around. He was precious and sweet and so full of energy. 

But with that being said, Peter was also beginning to test the boundaries. Gone were the days when he was self-placing himself in time-out. Now it was a matter of testing to see what he could get away with, and it all started a month ago when Ben bought Peter a new collection of books.

Peter had clambered down onto the floor in front of the books and spread them out perfectly so he could see each cover. His eyes lit up like twin beacons of happiness when he began to count how many there were. 

“One, two, three, five,”

“Whoa you missed a number, buddy. That’s four.”

“Four, five, six, seven.” The boy traced a small stubby finger over the cover and then squealed with delight. “Uncle Ben! I gots seven books.”

“You do.” Ben replied, smiling fondly. 

“I like dis one,” Peter held up a _Curious George._

He climbed on the couch, and snuggled up against Ben’s lap, depositing the book in his hand. “Read?”

“Sure thing, buddy.”

It was all fun and games until they tried to put Peter to bed that night. Just as May had found out Peter was a huge fan of books, she also found out he got restless at night and almost was never tired. He liked to stay up late, but he was often grumpy in the morning. 

“But I’m not tired,” Peter whined loudly, clutching his book tightly. 

“Sweetie, it’s late. Come on. It’s time for bed.” May had taken ahold of Peter’s hand but Peter pulled away harshly.

“No!” He shouted, kicking out his little legs.

“Hey, don’t say no to your Aunt.” Ben scolded, but Peter was completely un-phased

“Not tired.” He declared, stomping his foot. 

“How about I read you a story?” Ben said hopefully. Peter pouted while playing with his fingers as if he were contemplating whether or not he should listen. 

“I wanna play.”

“You can play tomorrow. It’s getting late, and we have things to do tomorrow so we need to go to bed.”

“But I wanna play now!” Peter yelled, chucking his little hardback book at Ben’s legs. 

“Hey! You do not throw things, mister. That was very mean.” Ben said, and May honestly admired her husband’s ability to keep cool in moments like this one. 

“Don’t make me take away your brand new books.”

Peter gasped, tears welling up in his soft brown eyes. “No take books.” 

“Then you need to go to sleep.”

Peter reluctantly went to bed that night, but that was only the beginning of his terrible ‘no’ phase. 

It continued like this:

“Peter, please pick up your shoes and take them to your room.”

“No.”

“Eat your broccoli.”

“No.”

“I need you to put on your coat.”

“No.”

And so on. Each time, May and Ben were able to combat the disobedience with a threat. Once Peter landed himself in time-out, but that didn’t exactly stop the no’s from coming. 

So May really should have seen it coming; she should have known Peter was not going to listen to her when she ordered him to climb down from the dresser. But damn she wished he would have. 

“This isn’t funny, Peter. You can’t fly, okay?Do not jump.” May was already striding towards him, ready to scoop him off the dresser and take him to safety any minute but unfortunately she didn’t have a minute.

“Shit!” She screamed as Peter leaped high enough to touch the ceiling. Her parental instincts (she didn’t even know she had) kicked into overdrive, and May was lunging forward, her heart in her throat. A second later, Peter landed safely in her outstretched arms, but May slammed face-first onto the carpet, unable to protect herself from the fall because her arms were full of Peter.

She grunted, wincing in agony as her entire chest and arms suffered from dull and sharp pains all at once. She felt like she was hit by a car. 

“May!” Peter gasped. “I did it! I flew!” He said triumphantly. “Did you see me? I was flying.”

“Oh I saw you, all right.” May seethed. Confident now that Peter hadn’t suffered any injuries, May immediately flipped the disobedient little boy over her lap, “And now you’re going to see what happens when you don’t listen.”

The grin slid off Peter’s face, replaced by a frown which quickly bloomed into a sharp Yelp, as May laid into his backside with vigor.

“NO!” Peter screamed, kicking his legs as May raised her hand and brought it down sharply. She was being careful not to spank too hard. Her hand already covered the entirety of the small toddler’s bottom. But still, she was determined to make this something her nephew would remember.

“Don’t you ever,” she spanked his bottom harder and faster, “say ‘no’ to me again.”

Peter began to wail at the increase in yelling and tempo. He tried to push himself up, but May held him firmly in place while continuing to land painful stinging swats to the tiny wriggling bottom. 

May knew she was being harsh by dishing out a spanking, but Peter’s habit of saying no could have gotten him seriously hurt today, and May wasn’t about to let that happen ever again. 

Determined to make the lesson stick, and to ensure Peter would listen next time, May took hold of the elastic waist band of the boy’s pjs and pulled them down. She quickly followed this with his Tom and Jerry underwear. Seeing how red and sore Peter’s bottom looked, May had to force herself to administer the last two swats to his bare skin. 

Peter howled with pain. May gently pulled up the sobbing child’s underwear and pants and gathered him into her arms. 

“M-May sp-sp-spanked me,” wailed the child brokenly, his whole body shuddering with sobs. 

“Yes baby, because you could have gotten seriously hurt. I told you not to jump and you didn’t listen.” May automatically began rubbing circles onto his back. Peter kept his head buried in May’s shirt as his cries slowly died down. 

“So-sorry.” He hiccuped, stuffing his thumb in his mouth. 

“It’s okay,” May soothed, kissing the top of his floppy brown hair. “You’re okay.”

When Peter was only giving the occasional sniffle, he pulled back slightly and searched for May’s gaze. 

“Mad?” He asked quietly, eyes threatening to spill over with fresh tears. 

“No, no, no.” She whispered, cuddling the toddler to her chest again. “I’m not mad. Come on, why don’t we go find one of your favorite books and give it a read? Does that sound good?”

Peter nodded slowly, hands going to rub at his backside. “Hurts,” he mumbled mainly to himself. May could tell he wasn’t talking to her because he was facing the other direction. She stood up and winced, feeling her muscles protest in every way. Peter gasped when he noticed the big bruises on May’s forearms. 

“You have owie.” He said brushing over it with his thumb. “Is it because of me? Because I couldn’t really fly?”

May didn’t want to place any guilt on the boy, but she didn’t want to completely lie either. 

“I got this when I jumped forward to protect you from falling. But I was happy to protect you because I love you.”

Peter nodded in understanding, “Love you too.”

Despite the pain in her body, May lifted Peter up and carried him to his bedroom so he could pick out a story from them to read. As she was reading the story, her mind was drifting to Ben and how she was going to explain everything that had happened. She knew he would understand though. Ben was the most understanding man she had ever met. That’s why she married him. 

Peter was fully over the whole thing after the second _Curious George_ book. He was much too excited, and too busy jumping on May’s aching abdomen to be upset. 


End file.
